Obama to Democrats: Gear Up for 'Action August' on Immigration Reform

President Obama is urging his supporters to begin preparing for an upcoming August offensive that will attempt to sway lawmakers to pass his domestic agenda, reports the Washington Times.

“I’m going to need your help,” Obama said, addressing members of Organizing for Action, an advocacy group made up of members of his re-election campaign.

“Winning is good, but you run for office and you win so that you can actually get things done. … It’s the beginning, not the end, of a process.”

The pow-wow was held at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Washington, where the group hosted a dinner to kick off “Action August,” a month-long campaign designed to win over House members on such topics as gun control, immigration reform, climate change, abortion and Obamacare.

Obama told volunteers that they need to stay involved on immigration, rising student loan debt, universal healthcare and other issues because “what you do day-to-day … will make the difference.”

“The key is to try to make sure that this town refocuses on the issues that matter most to people day to day,” Obama said.

Obama couldn’t resist taking a jab at congressional lawmakers to a group that included House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards.

“The proposals that we put forward are ones that are going to be very difficult to get through this Congress,” Obama said.

“Of course, everything is very difficult to get through this Congress.”

Organizing for Action Executive Director Jon Carson told supporters in an email that the group is gearing up for “Action August” — a month in which its goal is to raise the pressure on lawmakers who will be home for the summer recess on various issues stalled in Congress.

Jon Carson, Executive Director of Organizing for Action, made clear the purpose of “Action August.”

“It’s all about making sure members of Congress hear directly from the people they represent, on the issues that matter to all of us,” Carson said.

“At the top of the list, a comprehensive immigration reform bill is facing a tough path through the House — and we’re going to be out there demanding action from our representatives.”

Carson said Organizing for Action supporters “will be telling the truth about Obamacare, fighting the outright lies about what health care reform means for ordinary Americans.”

Carson also rallied the troops to get ready to push for other contentious issues such as climate change, gun control and abortion.

“We’ll be calling out the climate deniers who are standing in the way of progress in Washington, and make sure the senators who hold the key votes on gun violence prevention hear from the people who sent them to Congress,” Carson said.